As the National Prevention of Cruelty to Animals week comes to aclose, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals visitedthe SMU campus to make students aware of the animals out there thatlove unconditionally but the people who do not.

“That is our week to tell people to be wary of people[who may or may not mean well] and to be grateful for acompanion,” said Maura Davies, an SPCA media relationsspecialist said.

The organization’s LINK Coalition educates the public onrecognizing the cycle of abuse and how it affects pets and people,learning appropriate reporting procedures of cruelty, and howagencies and the community can work together in combating the cycleof abuse.

The LINK Coalition provides seminars and workshops locally tovarious professions and the public at large and schools. 

It’s Web site, www.SPCA.org, gives information on how totake care of animals and also states what to do if you seemistreatment of pets.

Davies said it is important to notice cruelty early on.

“About 80 percent of all criminals that abuse people firstabused their pet or an animal in their care,” she said.

There are exam-ples of this type of abuse down at their Dallasheadquarters, located at 362 S. Industrial Blvd downtown.

“The doctors here not only spay and neuter, they fixbroken legs and love and care for injured and beaten animals wereceive,” Davies said.

The center brings in all kinds of animals, adding nearly 75 dogsand cats per week to its online adoption gallery.

At the beginning of the month, SPCA visited the Galleria and hada clinic in the mall.

“Many dogs and cats were adopted; it was great to see allthose pets getting new and caring homes,” Davies said.

The Dallas location deals with mostly dogs and cats but the newMcKinney building has alternative pets for those who are seeking adifferent kind of pal.

It houses pets ranging from horses and gerbils to parrots,snakes and rabbits.

Ed Wisneski, an associate director of athletics and an SPCAvolunteer, is ready and willing to come to the aid of an animal inneed.

“There is so much we can do to help,” Wisneski said.”I myself have adopted our dog Magic a little more than eightyears ago when she was nine weeks old and nine pounds. I knowhow much a home means to pets.

“There are always college students who want to adopt pets,but it requires much responsibility and time,” Wisneskisaid.

The SPCA is always looking for people who want to assist in itseffort.

Student volunteers walk the animals at its facilities, whileothers have volunteered their time to help train the animals.

This gives the animals the love, care and companionship theyrequire. The time people spend with the pets gives volunteers achance to exercise and enjoy the company of the animals.

“I have a pillow in my office that says, ‘My goal inlife … is to be the kind of person my dog thinks Iam.’ Perhaps I should add another pillow to my office thatsays, ‘My goal in life … is to be as loving, loyal andnon-judgmental as my dog is,'” Wisneski said.